AUSTIN – A Texas man who was convicted in 1983 for the murder of a Catholic priest and sentenced to 38 years in prison was declared innocent by the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals Wednesday.
According to the Innocence Project of Texas, the death of Father Patrick Ryan is a case that has haunted law enforcement and the Catholic church for over 40 years.
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The court’s decision to exonerate James Reyos was reportedly based on recently discovered fingerprint evidence that identified the real perpetrators and the evidence that he was in New Mexico at the time of the murder.
“We are grateful for the court’s swift action on this case. James has been living with this burden for more than 40 years and his name has finally been cleared,” said Allison Clayton, Deputy Director of Innocence Project of Texas, and Reyos’ attorney. “We want to thank the Odessa Police Department and Ector Count District Attorney’s Office for their cooperation. This case is a testament to what can happen when everyone works together for justice.”
On Dec. 21, 1981, Ryan was found murdered in a motel room in Odessa, Texas. During the initial investigation, the police interviewed Reyos, who was allegedly the last known person to see the victim alive.
“Reyos established through multiple witnesses, store receipts, and even a speeding ticket, that he was in New Mexico at the time of the murder. Texas Rangers verified the information and ruled him out as a suspect,” a news release said. “A year later, while heavily intoxicated on drugs and alcohol, Mr. Reyos called 911 and confessed to the murder. Once he was arrested, Mr. Reyos immediately recanted.”
The state indicted and tried Reyos for Ryan’s murder.
“Jurors at the time said their decision was based on the confession and on Mr. Reyos’ ‘characteristics,’” the release said.
Reyos served 20 years in prison and was initially released in 2004. In 2022, members of the Odessa Police Department said they discovered fingerprints in their archived files that had been taken from the crime scene and from the victim’s stolen car and wallet. Authorities then ran the prints through AFIS, the national fingerprint database, and performed their own comparison.
“The analysis revealed the identities of Father Ryan’s killers - individuals with criminal histories who were known to be staying at the same motel at the time of the murder. All of the real perpetrators have since passed away,” a spokesperson for the Innocence Project said. “All of the real perpetrators have since passed away.”
“I am so grateful to Innocence Project of Texas for this day. I want this to serve as hope to the people of Texas that justice can prevail,” Reyos said after hearing the court’s decision. Reyos, whose father passed while he was in prison, tearfully shared, “My father told me to never give up and I never did.”